A woman has had a confrontation with the owner of Bashford antiques over a fine given to an UberEats Delivery driver for parking during a delivery. Source - supplied
An Auckland couple are offering $350 to the Uber driver stung with a hefty wheel clamping fee at Ponsonby's Bashford Antiques on Friday night.
Jeff and Jaye McGregor got in touch with the Herald after seeing Monday's story and thinking the young man was probably one of the least likely people to be able to absorb the cost.
The Browns Bay couple, who have two young children, said they could remember what it was like to work hard on a low wage and wanted to help out.
"My wife and I put ourselves in the shoes of the delivery driver, obviously looking to earn money at a very low wage," McGregor told the Herald.
"We thought about when we were starting our business - she worked two jobs on barely minimum wage and it took its toll."
The couple run a digital analytics company, and McGregor said although they didn't have a great deal of money, it was easier for them than an Uber driver to shoulder the $350 cost.
He said most Uber drivers he had spoken to told him they worked two jobs to make ends meet.
In a video shot by a concerned member of the public, the unidentified driver can be heard saying he was only making $5 for the delivery.
He had to call a friend to transfer money into his account as he did not have enough, but even then Bashford Antiques director Michael Organ wouldn't budge.
"If he is going to be earning a living driving then he is going to be respecting property rights full stop," he said on Monday.
The Ponsonby store's car park is a clamping hot spot, with one couple charged $760 for parking in the wrong place.
The Ponsonby store's carpark is a hot spot for clamping. Organ once charged a couple $760 after they parked there while getting dinner nearby.
Jeff McGregor said he also remembered being clamped as a young man right before Christmas, and how difficult it had been for him to find the $200 he needed to have his wheel released.
"Not only is it the cost to him of the $350, it's the opportunity cost. That would have taken up his time and he wouldn't have been able to earn money."
The McGregors have asked for the Herald to arrange for them to reimburse the driver the full amount he paid if the man comes forward.
